Hot Topic - Media in France

Media Policy As Election Year Wedge Issue - March 19, 2012Time and again media policies become election issues. Whether it’s the status of public broadcasting, subsidies affecting publishers or the role of regulators politicians take positions in line with either ideology or expedience. Other issues, in this era of austerity, may make for better campaign news but politicians increasingly see media policies as ground to stake out.

Online Media Goes Big And Bold… But Not Brilliant - February 6, 2012Being number one means never having to explain the small things. Reaching into page view, audience and circulation figures for that competitive edge is risky. Like everybody else in this 140 character new media world, media people want just the headline. Details are so messy.

Holidays No Gift To Music Channels - January 17, 2012Reviewing another slice of the recently ended holiday season shows how audiences remain undeterred by fun and frivolity. Economies are tanking and listeners just can’t get enough news, albeit in slices. And, too, there’s a lot of button pushing going on. It’s a trend.

Sweet Numbers For Some, Others A Surprise - November 18, 2011Broadcasters bank – literally – on the first big audience surveys after the summer break. It’s about the money with media buyers, contemplating the traditional retail season, adjusting their plans. But ratings are like that box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get.

Publishers Boldly Go Into Online Cosmos - October 13, 2011A relevant criticism of newspaper publisher’s Web reticence has been cultural. Newspaper people, some say, lived in a silo, believing their legacy brands invincible and inflated ad rates would last forever. While no newspaper publisher holds that view today, the industry lost valuable time – and tidy sums of money – as readers and advertisers drifted away.

Making Difficult Digital Choices - September 15, 2011Decisions surrounding digital television transition have been studied, proposed, discarded, studied again and on and on and on. Engineering geniuses just keep inventing better, faster and smarter stuff. The complications are confounding, except the part about money or lack thereof.

Can’t You All Just Get Along? - April 4, 2011Powerful people play tough because they know that’s the way the game is played. Mixing politics and media with ego and hubris can create a high-tech war zone. This story is about the tricks, trials and collateral damage.

Media in France

French audiences are moving fast to every new platform. Mobile and Web media challenges the old guard while rule makers seek new directions. Media life in France... and a few secrets. includes updated Resources 147 pages PDF (November 2011)

ftm Knowledge

Europe's Radio - Southern Europe – new

Radio broadcasting in southern Europe ranges from highly developed to developing highly. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese radio is unique, creative and very popular. Radio in Croatia, Serbia and Greece has had ups and downs. The ftm Knowledge file includes Resources. 126 pages PDF (June 2015)

Google Is... Still

Google's leaders say their goal is to change the world. And they have. Far more than a search engine, Google has impact over every media sector and beyond, from consumer behavior to broadcasting and advertising to newspapers. That impact is detailed in this ftm Knowledge file. 116 pages PDF (April 2015)

The Curtain Falls - Media Rises

This updated set of essays focuses on the dramatic changes in Europe's media that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain thereafter; Germany in 1989, new media rules,transition of State broadcasting to public broadcasting, refocus for international broadcasting, the rise of commercial broadcasting and the importance of youth culture. PDF (December 2014)